Overview

• St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy recorded 202 suspensions in July’s first three weeks, with weekly totals falling from 99 to 36 by week three.
• Acting headteacher Clare McKenna says the measures were co-designed with Education Exchange and are only enacted after pupils repeatedly refuse reasonable staff instructions.
• Some parents warn that the strict rules are causing student anxiety and lost classroom time, while others credit the approach with restoring focus and respect.
• The academy retains a 'requires improvement' Ofsted rating from April and continues without its head and deputy head following unexplained absences since summer 2024.
• Nearly half of the pupils qualify for free school meals and the school is hosting coffee mornings to engage families against a backdrop of a 21 percent rise in national suspensions.